The Christmases We Used to Know
by HecateA
Summary: A brief history of Christmas parties and drunken mistakes in the Potter home. Oneshot.


**Hi friends, I'm alive! This Christmas story was a gift for my friend Kelsey, who was gracious enough to accept it warmly printed, horribly stapled by our library's rabid staplers, and rolled up and tied with a hairband- because she understands exactly how horrible finals season is. On the up-side, Harry Potter fluff heals all wounds.**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Yup.**

* * *

 **The Christmases We Used to Know**

 _I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,  
Just like the ones I used to know  
Where the treetops glisten and children listen  
To hear sleigh bells in the snow_

 _I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,_  
 _With every Christmas card I write_  
 _May your days be merry and bright,_  
 _And may all your Christmases be white._

-White Christmas

* * *

A teacup plopped down on the table, inches from James' nose.

"For you," Lily said. She sat on the table, which she always said made him improper. She did look very graceful doing it, James doubted he could replicate that.

"Thank you," James said, sitting up. Then, "This isn't tea."

"It's wine," Lily said. "I thought you'd need something a little stronger."

James grinned. "It looks like Professor Slughorn has been giving somebody a little too much leeway in potions. Cheers, Evans."

"You don't have to force it," Lily said. "Have you found someone to replace you as head boy while you're home for the holidays, or shall I announce your vacancy to McGonagall? It completely slipped my mind, I should have checked with you earlier."

"I'm staying here," James said. "I thought you knew. I… I can't leave Sirius alone, for starters- that would be a mess. My father told me that he wants to take a trip this year, over Christmas. Change of air, change of spirits I think he said."

Lily nodded.

"What about you, are you going to be around for the holidays?" James asked.

"I'm staying," Lily nodded. "It's my last Christmas, I might as well spend one here. Besides, my… my sister is bringing her boyfriend home. He's a muggle, and she wrote to me that she didn't want me to meet him."

"Lily, that's atrocious," James said. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," Lily said. She took a long, hard sip from her own cup of wine.

"No," James said. "It's really not. I mean, my mother's dead- but I can't believe your family is just turning you away."

"It's fine," Lily repeated. Again, she took a long sip of wine and looked around the common room. James noticed the freckle on the top of her ear. That freckle amazed him every time he saw it- he had never seen a freckle on somebody's ear before, and it was the _only_ freckle on Lily's ear, either of her ears actually. It was so perfectly placed that James couldn't believe he had never seen it before, after all these years of gawking at her. He'd noticed it for the first time when he'd taken her down to Hogsmeade sometime before Halloween. He'd brought her to Geraldina's Gently Worn Books and the Three Broomsticks and it had been nice and he'd noticed her freckle and she'd finally seemed to notice him. He hadn't done anything else, what with the mother dying and so on, but he thought about that day a lot.

"You know, muggles have these lights," Lily said. "On a string. There's, umm… It's called electricity, but that's how we, they- I'm telling it all wrong, but they have strings with all sorts of colours. It's lovely, when everything in the world is decorated with lights."

"I like the common room," James said. The place was dripping with holly and ivy and Christmas roses.

"Me too," Lily said. "But there's something nice about the lights. Especially at this time of the year, when it gets dark so early and stays dark so long."

"In case you forget the sun will rise, I suppose," James said.

Lily leaned in and kissed him. James was so shocked he missed most of it, but he came back just in time to briefly taste wine and what he presumed was raspberry Chapstick. Lily stepped back before he could find out more. Her fingertips rested on James' cheek still, so lightly he forgot she was there.

"In case you forget the sun will rise," Lily said as if something so monumental could be explained so simply.

"I…" James said. "But that was really nice, we should… I mean, please don't just do that to me when I'm sad."

Lily laughed, but James was serious. He got up, put his hand on her waist and leaned in again.

When classes finally ended, they escaped the Common Room (even if they should have presumably been helping the First Years pack for the holidays and make their way to the train). James' plan was to sneak in around 11:00- the Marauders would have set up a night watch waiting for him, and Peter would be up at that time and by far the easiest to bribe and keep quiet. As it turned out, he didn't sneak back in at all. He showed Lily the secret passage to Professor Trottier's office and she was happy watching the stars and talking to him all night.

The next morning, only one table remained in the Great Hall since so many students had gone home. The Dark Lord hovering over everything made families anxious to stick together, James supposed. Regardless, it made their entrance into the Great Hall a little bit awkward as not only all eyes were on them, but also, they were late. And not for a particularly classy reason.

Still, James kept his grip solid on Lily's hand and he pulled her chair for her at the Great Hall.

When he sat down he was hyperconscious of Sirius, Remus, and Peter starring at him intently, practically trying to extract information from him by sheer willpower. He stirred some cinnamon into his oatmeal.

"Hello?" Sirius said. "Should I put my underpants on my head and start reciting Gamp's Laws of Elemental Transfiguration- or are you two the only ones who have gone mental?"

"I wish he would," McGonagall whispered to Dumbledore at the head of the table.

"You three idiots will have the decency not to say anything just yet," James said quietly, stirring madly.

"I don't know how that can be humanely expected of us, but alright," Remus said.

"Right, why shouldn't the one time you have nothing to say about Lily Evans be the one time we want to hear something- _anything_ ," Sirius said. "Evans blink twice if you're under the Imperius curse."

"Sirius, be polite, we're at the table," Lily said just as stiffly as James.

"I actually think this is something the whole table might be interested in hearing," Sirius said. "But it's fine, we'll all just pretend that seven years of endless and occasionally embarrassing pursuit may have just come to fruition."

"Sirius, not now," James said. He was hyperaware of Severus Snape's hateful, hateful glare from down the breakfast table and did not want a fight to start, not now, not after the night of stargazing and raspberry Chapstick and kissing Lily's freckle.

"I hope they do get around to telling us," Slughorn whispered not-so-subtly to Dumbledore at the other end of the table. "I'm sure the details are riveting."

* * *

Sometimes Lily got _mad_ about magic. Which didn't make sense on a cognitive level: she was, as many people had noticed, a witch- and quite a good one, at that. But there was just something about the genocidal maniac trying to harness the most beautiful thing in Lily's life to slay half of the world's population that just turned her off. This was what she told James anyways, when he complained about doing the dishes by hand.

"Some things don't need magic," she said. "If you stopped being so bitter and whiney, you'd see that doing the dishes is soothing."

"Yes dear."

"Don't 'yes dear' me," she said thrusting a plate in his hands. "Besides, you're drying, and that's the best job."

"Yes darling."

She shot him a look and he pretended not to grin at his own rubbish joke. It didn't work very well.

"I should honestly stop teasing you, because I have a favour to ask," James said. "Well, not a favour. A proposition."

"Alright?" Lily said. This could mean absolutely anything coming from the mouth of James Potter. He took her hands, dried them, and steered her out of the kitchen and past the glass doors that opened into the living room.

"We should have a Christmas party," James said. "Think about it- about how boring Halloween was without the feast… We can't let Christmas slip away too. Imagine- we can lock up all the rooms with valuables in them, have a table full of food there, cases of butterbeer and Madam Rosmerta's finest…"

He wrapped his arms around her waist, propped his chin on her shoulder, and pointed as he spoke.

"We can put the Christmas tree right by the window, so the neighbors will see it- and the muggles will wonder how the candles on it keep burning without running out. Everlasting snow can fall from the ceiling, we'll charm some icicles to drop down the fireplace mantle and bring out those singing teapots of yours to sing carols… It'll be lovely. People will love it."

"I told you I wanted a quiet Christmas," Lily said. "And I didn't want you to make it a big deal just because it was the first Christmas since Dad passed."

"Love, the party I was describing was a quiet, subdued get-together. A big deal would make it far grandiose," James said. He kissed her cheek. "I know you're not going to see your family for Christmas, but I still want you to have a happy Christmas."

"James, don't… don't build this up. I don't want to disappoint you," Lily said.

"You can't disappoint me," James said. "Besides, this isn't about you Evans. It's our first Christmas here, in the Lily Pad."

"Don't call the house that," Lily said.

"The house _wants_ a party," James said. "The house needs to be inaugurated properly. The house might get a poltergeist if we don't honour it."

"That's not how that works."

"With all due respect Evans, I think I'm more qualified to make that assessment based on sheer amount of time spent with Peeves," James said. "Imagine it: music, Christmas lights everywhere, the smell of pine, mistletoe all over the place so I get to do this to you all night…"

He spun her around and kissed her. He felt Lily smile even before she stepped back and turned to look at their living room a little longer.

"The tree will have to go somewhere else. We should put the comfortable chairs by the window so that people have a nice place to sit and look outside," Lily said. "Christmas'll be so close to the full moon, Remus will need it."

"So that's a yes?" James asked.

"Yes, we can have a Christmas party," Lily said. "How domestic of us."

"Well it doesn't have to be _domestic,"_ James said. "We'll have Madam Rosmerta's finest, and Sirius is nothing if not a functioning alcoholic. We'll have the postman come to the door throughout the night, and he'll turn into the life of the party."

Lily laughed, and James kissed her cheek.

* * *

The hustle and bustle of the party was honestly one that the Lily Pad had never seen before, but would come to expect every 21st of December.

There were people everywhere- in the living room, sitting on the staircase lined with Christmas lights, in the kitchen trying to be helpful but distracted by conversation… They had had to bring out a second table to accommodate all the food, one being dedicated solely to cookies.

The talk of the party was that Alice and Frank had come as an item- nothing like nearly dying at the hands of the Dark Lord to precipitate a romance. Sirius was so drunk (by 9:00 PM, it was worth adding) that he was serenading McGonagall with a strange, strange mix of Christmas carols and Bizarre Sisters love songs that she observed with a glass of wine handy and a look of intense disapproval.

Fabian and Gideon Prewitt had transfigured chairs into instruments and were leading the living room in a sing-along that also appeared to be a drinking game. Aurora Sinastra was breaking hearts and taking names in her long black gown and gloves, and Peter appeared to be next-in-line for a good old-fashioned heart trampling. Lily made a note of it, to be ready to feed him cookie dough and pet his hair once the inevitable happened.

Hagrid was sitting on the couch and telling little Charlie Weasley a story, describing some sort of monster based on his hand gestures and Bill Weasley's wide eyes. Hopefully nothing too scary that would get Molly cross. The woman was eight months pregnant and should not be toyed with- not now, not ever.

Lily picked up her green skirt and laughed at a joke that Benjy Fenwick called out about her gingerbread being enchanted over her shoulder, as she brought a rather impressive collection of empty bottles away to the powder room- out of sight and out of mind.

"Professor Dumbledore!" she said, nearly running into him.

"Lily, my dear," he said. He was wearing a rich red coat which, now that his hair was greying, likened him to Santa Clause in a strange, strange way that Lily wanted to un-see.

"We weren't sure if you would come, given how busy it is at Hogwarts this time of the year…" Lily said.

"Well, Minerva certainly wasn't going to come lest I drag her," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "You and James have quite a nice home, though I imagine it is even nicer when not littered by wrapping paper and revelers."

"Mess or not, we're quite happy here." Dumbledore smiled from behind his glasses, so Lily kept going. "Mrs. Bagshot told James and I that you grew up here, when we ran into her at the farmer's market."

"Oh, is the farmer's market still going?" Dumbledore said distractedly. "That's lovely. If the woman selling pear jam is still there, I should quite like a jar one of these days."

"Yes, Professor," Lily said. That was when there was a crash from outside. Lily was not the only one to draw her wand before running outside to investigate, heart in her throat. Ever since Frank and Alice's brush with the Dark Lord, the Death Eaters had been especially aggressive, Lily didn't dare to think…

She wasn't sure if she was relieved, annoyed, angry or delighted to see Sirius Black dangling from the gutters of the cottage, his flailing limbs knocking against the house, with what appeared to be candy canes inserted into each nostril.

"Sirius… Tell me what, or tell me how…" Lily called up.

"Minerva said she wouldn't love me, even if I jumped and I wanted to prove her wrong," Sirius called back down.

"Merlin's beard," Lily swore. Why was Sirius like this?

"I'm sorry Lily," Remus said. "I was supposed to be watching him…"

"No, no," Lily said. "This isn't your fault. Just run back inside, you'll catch your death out here... Where's James?"

That's when Amelia Bone gasped and pointed out the very wobbly deer who had been walking on the roof of the cottage, until it slipped and its antlers punched right through the roof.

"Actually, I think you might need my help," Remus said.

"Can animagi transfigure while intoxicating?" Peter came up to them and asked.

"Well, I would say yes," Lily said. "The next question is, can they turn back?"

"I don't know, but we'll be telling everyone that Sirius transfigured James while he was drunk, yes?"

"Yes," Peter agreed.

"Can you two take care of my fiancé and his stupid best friend if I get everyone else back inside?" Lily asked.

"Your fiancé!" Peter exclaimed, jaw dropping.

"Oh dear," Lily sighed. Maybe James wouldn't remember the events of the night and she could convince him that he'd ruined their surprise.

Again, it was only 9:00 PM.

* * *

This year, Lily had found a potion with Slughorn's help to temporarily stop James from transforming into his Animagus form. An experimental potion, which James wasn't happy about it, but Lily had the evidence and facts to prove that this was a necessary precaution. She spiked Sirius' eggnog with the stuff too. Since she occasionally tutored Slughorn's students, he let her borrow some harder-to-find ingredients from his cupboards sometimes. Slughorn was just telling her about how she'd managed to save a poor sixth year's grades.

"Well Lily, if you ever do apply to work at Hogwarts, you'll have a strong recommendation from me," Slughorn told her. The cranberry punch had already turned his cheeks red and his enthusiasm overwhelming. Lily still wasn't sure if she had invited him, or if he had overheard other members of the Order speak and stolen their invitations. McGonagall had wisely elected not to come this year, and Lily suspected a correlation. In any case, she hoped that her old professor wouldn't be too disappointed when he realized that no members of the Wizenmagot or up-and-coming starlets were present and that the present crowd had strictly gathered to dance and drink.

James pulled her away, saying something about pastry puffs being ready to serve but he couldn't find the oven mitts.

"Not really," he said. "Just they're starting board games in the living room and I didn't think you'd want to miss out. Husband of the year yet?"

"Not yet," Lily said. "A lot could happen in the next ten days." She still kissed him thankfully before joining in, with Peter as her partner.

She and Peter didn't do very well, and soon Lily was wooed by the dancers. She danced with Caradoc Dearborn, who she didn't see half as much as she'd like since they had graduated, until Dumbledore caught her gaze from across the room. She excused herself.

"I'm sorry to make this night about business," Dumbledore said. He passed a scroll to Lily. "It can wait until tomorrow, but Frank just intercepted this. We need it decoded as soon as possible… Please, feel free to use the Hogwarts library should you need it."

"Of course, Professor," Lily said, tucking the scroll into the pocket of her dress. The beads around her wrists and around her neck clattered. "I might be able to use this to get out of cleaning, James would love that."

"That's the spirit," Dumbledore nodded. "Also, I do believe you were my Secret Santa."

From his pocket he drew the small snow globe encompassing Hogwarts. Lily smiled- she was proud of her handiwork. The castle stood high, but everything from Hagrid's hut to the Dark Forest to the Lake and the Quidditch pitch was featured in tiny details. As the snow fell in the little globe, the castle lights flickered gently and the tentacles of the newly acquired baby squid burst through the lake's surface.

"You are quite difficult to shop for, Professor," Lily said.

"It's lovely," Dumbledore said. "My compliments to the creator and their delicate wandwork."

Lily smiled. "Merry Christmas, sir."

James burst in. "Lily! Oh, so sorry to interrupt, sir."

"Please do, James," Dumbledore said.

"I don't suppose you have your broom handy, sir," James said. "Kingsley and I finally got the anti-muggle spells just right. Arthur Weasley approved, and we'll be having ourselves a quidditch match."

"I'm afraid I must be going, but this was a lovely night. I know you hesitated, because of what happened to the Prewitt brothers, but I think that everyone needed a good reason to smile."

"That's what Christmas is, sir," James said. "A time to turn on the lights and remember that the sun will rise. I'll walk you out…"

"No, no," Dumbledore said, letting himself out. Three paces away from the doorway, he dissaparated.

James took Lily's hand.

"My Secret Santa got me a fresh snitch," James said. "Mad-Eye's agreed to ref, and Emeline Vance and Edgar Bones have agreed to seek. The sexual tension there will make this match even better. Ted Tonks is the other team captain. Come cheer for me?"

"As if your ego needs any cheering on," Lily said, ruffling his hair. "But yes, you know I will."

On their way across the living room, a slow song was playing.

"I love this song," Lily said.

James stopped and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her hair. "I'm glad that you're my wife this Christmas. Quidditch can wait."

Lily gasped. "A Christmas miracle!"

* * *

Marlene McKinnon was trying to tell Lily that the two of them, James, and Sirius should go on a double-date, which Lily was trying to absorb and respond to noncommittally _while_ trying to piece together the best way to tell Marlene that Sirius had only taken her out twice, was riddled with commitment issues, and would not in a million years go on a double date even if that wasn't the case.

So Lily resigned to eating gingerbread cookies straight from the cookie tin that Molly Weasley had sent, along with her love- since there was no way that she and Arthur could manage all their children at this Christmas party. The twins had broken the balance, which Lily was quite sorry for since she'd have loved to play with the boys. Lily probably should have been sharing the cookies. Hopefully Molly would either not mind, or never find out. Or hopefully she'd find out and bring Lily more gingerbread. James could never find out about it though; the ginger jokes were too easy and abundant.

She was saved from Marlene by Amelia Bones, who had to leave early and was looking for her coat. Internships with the Ministry of Justice didn't even let up for the holidays, but Amelia chatted happily about it as they looked through piles and piles of coats for hers.

"You know, I think Remus brought some upstairs," Lily said. "Let's check the bedroom…"

When Lily unlocked her door, she wasn't even surprised to find all four Marauders holed up inside. What did catch her off-guard was the music box Sirius held. James looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Oh gosh," Lily said as they all looked up at her. Sirius, jaw dropped, pointed at Lily.

"Purple, you said your coat was, Amelia?" Lily said. _"Accio purple coat!"_

She stuffed the coat in poor Amelia's hand and shut the door on her.

"What are you four doing here?" Lily asked.

"Sirius needed a condom," Peter squeaked.

"And you- you _all_ had to come? And look through my night table?" Lily sputtered. "Sirius, can't you plan?"

"It all happened really fast," James said. He took the music box from Sirius and went to Lily. He held it up, as if Lily needed to see it again. As if she didn't know that it played _The First Noel,_ that the figurine spinning inside the smooth wooden box showed two figures cradling a child, as enchanted snowflakes rained down…

James looked at her with big, surprised brown eyes. Lily hated herself for likening it all to a deer in the headlights.

"Really?" James asked.

"Yes," Lily said. She nodded at the same time, as if James really need convincing.

"How long have you known?" James asked, shutting the music box.

"A month or so," Lily said.

"Lily, you should have told me," James said. "We have done some _dangerous_ things in the last month! _Voldemort_ was there! Oh my God. Our child was in the presence of Voldemort. Oh my God. Lily, we're going to have a baby…"

"I'm aware," Lily said. "I thought I'd found such a clever way to tell you, I'm sorry, I didn't want it to be like this, all shocking and surprising, and I didn't think the three others would be here either."

"But doesn't it just feel right now that it's happening?" Sirius said.

James wrapped his arm around her and buried his face in her hair. Lily wrapped her arms around his neck, and he picked her up, holding her even tighter.

"This is perfect," James said. "Don't be sorry, this is perfect."

"I actually spent money on Christmas presents this year," Sirius muttered in the background. "Shouldn't've done that, I'm being beaten by biology."

"What are you being so grumpy about, we're getting a nephew," Remus said. "Will you never be satisfied?"

James put Lily back down and kissed her.

"We should celebrate," he said hugging the music box to his chest. "Did you charm this yourself? Of course you did, you're brilliant and lovely and perfect." He kissed her cheek. "Let's go before Molly Weasley's fudge disappears."

Lily had snowflakes in her hair from the enchanted snowflakes over the dance floor, but when Lily spotted Dumbledore she knew that he'd just come in.

"Lily," he said cordially. "Where's James?"

"He just went to get us a drink," Lily said. "What's the matter Professor?"

"James should know too, my dear," Dumbledore said. "Our sources say that the Death Eaters held a Solstice Meeting, and it appears that Voldemort is a touch more displeased by his last encounter with you and James than we had believed. The third time seems to be the last straw."

Lily's shoulders dropped. It was silly and meaningless and pointless, but her hand rested on her stomach. She had just told James…

"James," she called into the crowd. Only a few people turned around, but one of those people was Remus Lupin, who got James to Lily within a heartbeat.

 _"_ What's wrong, love?" James said, his hand on the small of her back.

"Let's speak somewhere private," Lily said. "The- the reading room is that way, there shouldn't be too many people there…"

* * *

It was 8:30 PM, and it wasn't that the baby had been difficult or fussy today, but Lily felt an especially heavy fatigue right in her bones.

Of course, Remus had stopped by- having done their shopping for them as he had every week since they'd gone into hiding. Sirius had offered to help, but Lily could easily make Remus stay for dinner this way, and knowing that Remus ate well at least once a week helped her sleep. Usually this also attracted Peter and Sirius as well, but that was only to be expected.

Remus was sitting at the kitchen table, cooing back at Harry while Lily put away the groceries. She had their radio on, playing Christmas carols through the kitchen.

"He's growing so quickly," Remus said. "Good on you, Harry. Good on you."

Lily had smiled and said something trivial about Harry being a good baby. She couldn't help but notice a new scar on Remus' face, it just moved so much when he smiled and broke her heart. He misinterpreted her look of concern.

"It's going to be strange," Remus said. "Not having a Christmas party this year. But everyone understands- even outside the Order, what with a newborn in the house…"

Lily sighed. The days and weeks and months had all blended together. Every day just felt long and interminable since the business with the Fidelius Charm had started, but she had known that they were missing the Solstice...

"I know," Lily said. "But it would be nice to… it just feels wrong not to have the party. And I know that's silly. James and I are on top of Voldemort's list- I just translated some reports for Dumbledore, and… we are, we really are. I wish everything were normal. For Harry, but also for James- he doesn't like being cooped up. I'm scared that he'll start to wander again, that… that he'll get hurt, and then how will we know? With what the Death Eaters have been doing to bodies recently, I just…"

"James wouldn't," Remus said, getting up. "As restless as he is, he loves you and he loves Harry more. Come here…"

He wrapped his spare arm around her, and Lily scooped Harry back into her arms.

"It just… it just doesn't feel like Christmas," Lily said.

"How can you say that without knowing what Harry's favourite uncles have planned for Christmas Day?" Remus asked. "Well, Peter is spending Christmas with his mother so he bowed down- but this might be some of Sirius and I's best work. Just you wait, Lily."

Remus was sweet, but it still felt fundamentally wrong when Lily went to bed the night of the 21st at 9:00 PM... The house was not a mess of wrapping paper and empty bottles of fire whiskey, and nobody (not even Sirius) was passed out in the spare bedroom.

She curled up against James' chest. She felt him move, his weight shifting the mattress as he reached for something, and then he draped an arm around her so that they could both look at his music box. _The First Noel_ played, and Lily mouthed the words she'd learned in grammar school.

"I thought that this would be my best Christmas present ever," James said. "I never thought I could be happier than I was that second when you gave me the music box, but I get happier every single day I have with you and Harry. I love you, and I'm sorry that Christmas isn't so special this year."

The song started again.

"It's Harry's first Christmas," Lily said. "Our first of many. We'll have parties later, when the world is a better place for him. That's special enough for me."

They let the music play.

* * *

The clock in his office chimed as December 20th turned to December 21st. It woke up Fawkes, who quite grumpily flew over to his other perch by the fire.

"Chin up, Fawkes, the Winter Solstice is upon us," Dumbledore called. For a second Fawkes looked disgruntled enough to throw himself into the fire to spite his master, but the phoenix went back to sleep and Dumbledore went back to his correspondence.

The letter wasn't difficult to write, but it was exhausting. Sirius Black was due to appear in Court early in January, and the Wizenmagot wanted Dumbledore to submit his statement in advance. He suspected that the Minister was interested in giving _The Prophet_ a good, comforting story about Lord Voldemort's most loyal and sanguine servant being locked up for good. As a member of the Order and as M. Black's former professor, he was in a privileged position to comment on the relationship M. Black and the Potters had shared. Witnesses were few and far between for this case, within the Order of the Phoenix most people were still catching their breath and puzzling through the horror of it all. Remus, for example, had not been known to mention Sirius, James, Peter or Lily's names since October.

Dumbledore put down his quill. This was not the sort of thing to write in the early hours as the fog of sleep breezed in.

Due to its delicate nature, he slipped the letter into his desk, which prompted him to clean it for once. That was how his attention was drawn once more to the snow globe on the corner, which Flitwick had unearthed when he and Minerva had snuck in to decorate the room with red and green streamers and luminescent fairies, hibernating in lanterns.

Dumbledore shook the little globe. He had noticed that the lights in the castle had dimmed and the snowflakes had thinned out this year, which he suspected had nothing to do with the quality of Lily Potter's charm and everything to do with Lily Potter herself. Dumbledore had heard of spells unraveling once the caster passed away. It was an area of magic that had become quite popular in the last few years, all things considered, but that was quite macabre to study. It wasn't clear which spells unraveled with time and why, but he was quite sorry that the little snow globe had been one of them. He had quite like to think that a small piece of the Christmases that Lily and James had once known, had been safely parceled away.

He looked from the snow globe to the window. The squid had grown, and Dumbledore suspected that it would become the Giant Squid long before he retired. The castle was still glowing with light, warm and safe. It was snowing again, but the snowflakes were peppering a vastly different world. A safer world, a healing world, or one that would at least heal soon. Maybe it was a good thing that the snow globe had broken: that the people celebrating Christmas this year were celebrating the holidays, and not the fact that they had narrowly avoided death and were still alive. Dumbledore thought these things, but they were bittersweet and juxtaposed poorly with the list of broken things and hurt people in the world.

Ultimately, it was easier to put it all in the Pensieve, look out the window, and enjoy the white Christmas.


End file.
